Cornish charity provides aid as number of refugees fleeing Ukraine tops five million
Truro-based ShelterBox has described it as a "grim milestone"
An international disaster relief charity from Cornwall is continuing to provide aid to those in need as the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine tops five million.
Truro-based ShelterBox has had a team in eastern Europe since the end of February. The charity has spent time in Poland, Moldova and Lviv in Ukraine.
The charity is working on three projects as part of its Ukraine response – one providing mattresses to collective centres, one providing shelter kits (tarpaulins, rope, tools), thermal blankets, solar lights etc to help people survive in damaged buildings in central Ukraine, and one preparing to provide aid items that refugees fleeing the country can carry with them.
Director of International Programmes at ShelterBox, Euan Crawshaw said: “The number of people that have fled Ukraine, becoming refugees, has topped five million. It’s a grim milestone that does little to capture the devastating impact this conflict is having on families who, day after day, are being uprooted from their homes with little idea of when they may be able to return.
“ShelterBox continues to be part of the massive humanitarian effort to help those in need. Right now, ShelterBox has teams in Moldova and Lviv in Ukraine. As well as working to get aid to refugees on the move, we have desperately needed aid already reaching people still in Ukraine.
“We have mattresses being used in collective centres, shelter kits helping people repair their damaged homes, and thermal blankets, water carriers and solar lights helping people to survive.”
The three current projects
- ShelterBox is providing mattresses to collective centres in Lviv, Ukraine. Working with People in Need, they began distributions in March and the delivery of mattresses is continuing throughout April. Collective centres are places where people are seeking shelter and safety. The mattresses will help people sleep at night.
- They have started distributing shelter kits and other essential items to help people in Ukraine survive in damaged buildings. The kits contain tarpaulins, tools and rope, thermal blankets, solar lights, buckets and water carriers as well as hygiene items like soap, washing powder and toothpaste. Working with their partner Relief Aid, they are moving aid across Ukraine.
- ShelterBox will be supporting refugees in neighbouring countries with high priority items they can carry with them, like hygiene items and cash. The teams are working with government representatives, other humanitarian organisations and Rotary in Moldova to draw up plans. Their team has been visiting collective centres as well as conducting needs assessments at a reception centre in Moldova not far from the border with Ukraine, where many refugees have been arriving.